Residents Marcie and Marvin Chaiken are Enjoying Less Responsibilities, Engaging Activities and Friendly Neighbors at The Fountains

COME BECAUSE YOU CAN
There are lots of reasons to move to a retirement community, where the living is easy and you’re surrounded by friends.

“I find that some couples wait too long and by the time they’re ready to come in, one or the other of them is really not capable of enjoying what’s here for them.” – Marcie Chaiken, resident of The Fountains at La Cholla

MEET MARCIE AND MARVIN CHAIKEN, A COUPLE OF GEM AND MINERAL HOUNDS FROM PHILADELPHIA.
You can learn a lot from someone who has been in your shoes. Their honest insight can help you navigate your way to the place that’s right for you, regardless of which community you choose. (All quotes contained in this post are excerpts from a video interview conducted with Marcie and Marvin Chaiken on Friday, February 19th, 2016. To read the condensed transcript, please click here.)

Marvin goes by “Chick.” He jokes that Marcie doesn’t even know his real name, even though they’ve been married for “many, many years.” They started collecting minerals when their youngest child, Joshua, showed an interest. When their kids left the nest, Marcie opened her first of three mineral shops, stocking up on inventory at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show in 1975. That first trip to Tucson led to many more and they moved full time to the foothills in 1990. They became active members and docents of Tohono Chul Park, took and taught classes at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Arizona (OLLI), Tucson Gem and Mineral Society and co-founded Active Volunteers for the Arts.

TIME DOESN’T STAND STILL
Planning your best future begins with a conversation with yourself and those you love. Are you situated to enjoy all the years ahead where you are living right now? Or could you benefit from moving to a community designed to ensure your continued independence and freedom of choice? To know the right answers takes honestly exploring today’s wide range of options. “I think there came a point in my life where I said, ‘I really don’t want this responsibility anymore.’ And it took me a while to convince him but I just, not that I didn’t do things myself, but I wanted less things to do that I didn’t enjoy doing. …I just thought we don’t want to put this on our children as we get older and we are.” – Marcie Chaiken

ACTIVE AND ENGAGED
Living in their Casita gives Chick and Marcie the privacy and space they want along with the community connections and activities they enjoy. Marcie serves on three committees while both apply their OLLI experience as faculty members for Watermark University. “I think we looked at almost every senior’s retirement community in the area. There might be well over a dozen…. There is a very nice openness about the place and we felt it was an easier transition being in a home all your life to coming here. It felt more homelike. And one of the things I love, I have to tell you this, I loved having neighbors. It had been a long time.” – Marcie Chaiken

A PERFECT BLEND
With all the interesting things to do at The Fountains, finding the time to do them all is impossible. Chick and Marcie just pick and choose to find their perfect blend. “I meet with my old friends about once or twice a month for meetings, just men sitting around talking. Marcie does the same thing with her old friends, too, like that. I think we’ve enjoyed living here. It’s easy. A lot of the problems we might have had at home we do not have here…” – Marvin Chaiken

DON’T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT
Meet Marcie and Marvin over a drink in The Catalina Room or cappuccino in the Gallery Café. Just call 1-520-777-1413 to set up a time. Bring your questions and get honest answers straight from the source.

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Watermark Retirement Communities

Based in Tucson, Arizona, Watermark currently manages 51 communities in 20 states, including CCRCs, standalone independent living, assisted living, and memory care communities in addition to Medicare-certified rehabilitation and skilled nursing neighborhoods. Watermark has ownership interests in many of these communities, both on its own and through its development arm, The Freshwater Group.

Over the years, Watermark has made substantial investment in the development of innovative, proprietary tools and systems for community management including those for financial reporting, billing and accounts payable. Watermark blends national purchasing contracts and broad industry experience with local market knowledge to deliver the best services to residents while controlling expenses.